Shoe and skate combination



Juh 10, 1941. A.1'. H. MANsFlELD SHOE AND SKATE OMBINATION Filed Aug. s1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JWN-10 1941, J. H. MANSFIELD Y 2,244,719

SHOE AND SKATE COMBINATION Filed Aug. 31,'13a 2 sheets-snoei 2 Patented June 10, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE S'HOE AND SKATE COMBINATION Judson H. Mansfield, Rockford, Ill.

Application August 31, 1938, Serial No. 2i27,61.28

10 Claims.

The invention relates primarily to a shoe and skate combination and more particularly to an improved form of skating shoe and skate which may be detachably connected for skating or al ternatively detached so that the shoe can be used for Walking.

One object of the present invention is to provide in a shoe and skate combination an improved form of detachable connection for holding the skate on the shoe of such character that it will be self-cleaning, that is, one in which the attaching operation will itself serve to free the parts of any dirt or other foreign matter that may have lodged in them.

Another object is to provide a detachable shoe and skate combination embodying an improved form of connection plates for the skate which are molded into a composition sole and heel on the shoe so that they are firmly held thereon and at the same time embedded within the connes of the sole and heel so that they do not impede walking in the shoe when the skate is detached.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a detachable shoe and skate combination which is rugged in construction, economical to manufacture, and easy to manipulate.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a shoe and skate embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the shoe shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the attachment plates included in the shoe of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view along the line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective View, partly in section, along the line 5--5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modiiled form of shoe and skate combination embodying the invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the heel of the shoe in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail transverse sectional view along the line 8-8 iny Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a second modified form of shoe and skate combination embodying the invention.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged transverse sectional view along the line III-I0 in Fig. 9.

` cuts in the cavities defined by the plates.

(Cl. 128W-11.30)

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective View of one oi' the attaching lugs of the skate o-f Fig. 9.

For purposes of illustration and explanation of the invention, it has been shown and described herein as applied to ice skates. The invention is, however, also applicable to roller skates. Other structural changes or modications may be made as manufacturing requirements or expediency dictate and accordingly, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Referring p-articularly .to Fig. 1, a shoe Ill is shown therein attached to an ice skate II- by an improved form of detachable connection embodying the invention. The body of the skate I I is of conventional form and comprisesa runner I2 with the usual tubular reinforcement i3 as well as tubular foot supporting pedestals I4 and I5. Atop the pedestals are xed sole and heel plates I6 and I'I respectively. To secure the skate II to the shoe I9, complemental sole and heel plates I8 and I9 respectively are provided on the shoe. Within reasonable limits, the spacing of the plates on the shoe can be made the same, so as to match a single size of skate, for a variety of shoe sizes. This is particularly advantageous in the case of skates for growing children since one pair of skates can be purchased for them and then a series of successively larger pairs of shoes all of which can be fitted to the single pair of skates.

The sole and heel plates I8 and I 9, for the sho'e of Fig. l, are identical in form. They are, for the sake of economy, preferably fashioned as stampings from sheet metal and are of a shallow inverted dish-shape, being inset into the bottom of the shoe. The side walls of the plates are flared outwardly so that the open side of the plate faces the bottom. of the shoe without any dead-end laterally extending pockets or under- In ythis way, there is no such pocket in which dirt or other foreignmatter can readily lodge even when the wearer Walks over soft or muddy ground in the shoe. Serrations or lugs I8a and I9EL are fashionedon the marginal edges of each of the plates I8 and I9 and bent upwardly therefrom for a purpose described below.

In order to secure the plates I3 and lil to the sole and heel of .the shoe I0, the sole and heel of the shoe are preferably made of a moldab-le composition material and the plates are embedded in this composition during the molding operation. For example, the sole and heel of the shoe may be made of rubber and the plates IB and I9 placed in the mold so that they are firmly embedded in posi-tion during the vulcanizing of the rubber. Not only are the plates embedded in the rubber, with the tongues IBa and Ella engaging the same, but, in addition, the rubber may, by proper compounding, be bonded rmly to the plates, which are made of steel or other metal so that a very rigid joint is formed between them. In this way, the plates I8 and I9 are so firmly xed in the bottom of the shoe that they will not vbe torn loose by any strains imposed on them during skating. In addition, the location of the plates I3 and l within the confines of the sole and heel respectively gives the bottom of the shoe its usual smooth contour so that the wearer is able to walk in the shoes quite naturally and without any interference when the skates are removed. The edges of the side walls of the plates I8 and i9 are located at the bottom surfaces of the shoe, sole, and heel (Fig. 1) so that they sustain most of the wear incident to walking and prevent the rubber from being worn away about the prongs I8a yand Isa.

A detachable connection between the respective heel and sole plates on the shoe lll and skate l l is formed by interntting projections on the plates. In the case of the sole plates, these projections may be economically formed as lugs struck out or stamped from the plates themselves so that they are integral with them'. In particular, L-shaped lugs or loops 26 and 2| (Fig. 2) extending transversely of the plates are struck out from the plates i8 and le respectively. The lugs 2@ on the shoe sole plate i8 denne eyes Elia adapted to .l

loosely receive L-shaped rearwardly facing lugs Z2 on the skate sole plate I6 while the lugs 2l ony the shoe heel plate I9 form eyes 2 la engageable with a withdrawable latch mechanism 23 on the rear portion of the skate.

'I'he latch mechanism 23 is shown herein (Figs. l and 5) as embodying a channel shaped sheet metal latch 25 pivoted within the hollow rear pedestal l5 on a pin 25. Forwardly extending L-shaped lugs 2E on the upper end of the latch 2li are insertable into the eyes 2 la formed by the lugs 2l on the shoe heel plate so as to -grip the same and also force the lugs 2l against a stop lug 2l bent up from the skate heel plate l'l. The latch 2li is swung into and out of engaging position by a crank 28 pivoteol in bearings 28a on the pedestal I 5 and extending through vertical slots 29 in the side walls of the channel shaped latch plate. An extension on the crank 28 forms a readily accessible swinging lever for operating the latch. When the lever is in the position shown in Figs. l and 5, the latch is positioned for engagement with the heel plate lugs 2| on the shoe, and to withdraw the latch lugs 2'6 from the heel plate lugs 2 l, it is only necessary to oscillate lever 38 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. l).

In attaching the skate ll to the shoe I, the wearer first places the skate below the shoe with the plates l@ and I'l lying against the bottoms of the sole and heel and with the lug 22 projected into the cavity within the sole plate i8 ahead of the loop 2li but alined with the eye 2er'. Then, the skate is slid rearwardly along the shoe bottom during which the lug 22 enters the' eye and overlies the ledge formed by the loop 2Q. In this insertion operation, the skate is', of course, slid longitudinally of the shoe toward the rear end thereof and the heel of the shoe isl then pressed down on the skate heel plate il. Then the` latch operating lever 36 is swung to the position shown in Fig. l so that the shoe heel plate lugs 2i are rmiy gripped between the latch lugs 26 and stop lug l. During this attachment of the skate to the shoe, any dirt or other foreign matter which may have lodged in the loop shaped lugs 2l! or 2l is forced out by the cooperating lugs 22 and 25 and falls freely out of the cavities defined by the plates i8 and i9. This is because the open area within the sole plate cavity has a crcss-sectional area greater than that of the eye Eile. It will thus be seen that the attaching mechanism is selfcleaning and will not be jammed or clogged by mud and dirt that lodges in the bottom of the shoe. Also, it will be noted that the sole and heel plates l and il of the skate cover the sole and heel recesses effectually when the skate is attached to the shoe and thereby exclude any snow, ice, or water which might accumulate in the sole and heel recesses and interfere with ready detachment of the skate from the shoe. For the same reason, it is advantageous to house the movable fastening device, that is, the latch Sii, Within one of the skate pedestals and provide for its actuation by an operating member journaled in and projecting through the pedestal wall. By placing the securing lugs in the manner described, the forces applied to the skate during its use, and which tend to slide it along the bottom of the shoe, simply serve to seat the lugs 22 more nrmly within the loop shaped lugs 2li so that there is no possibility of the skate coming o. To remove the skate from the shoe, the series of operations described above is simply reversed. In other words, the latch lever 3U is first swung to disengage the latch lugs 26 from the heel plate lugs 2l and the skate is then slid forward so as to disengage the lugs 22 from the sole plate lugs 2i).

The modified construction shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive is very similar to that described above and differs therefrom principally in the form of lugs fashioned on the shoe plates and also in the latch mechanism at the heel of the skate. The same reference numerals have been used to identify substantially identical parts in this modiiied construction and also in the second modified construction shown in Figs. 9V and l0. In the arrangement of Fig. 6, a shoe lll is again mounted on a skate I l, the latter being an ice skate of generally conventional form except for the attaching mechanism. As in the previous case, the sole and heel of the shoe are formed of a moldable composition such as vulcanized flexible rubber, and sole and heel plates 3l and 32 are embedded within the sole and heel portions of the bottom of the shoe. The two plates 3l and 32 are preferably identical in construction and are generally like the plates IB and i9 previously described except for the form of the lugs fashioned on them. In the present instance, the lugs on the plates El and S2 are fashioned by striking out transverse rectangular pieces 33 and 34. The transverse lugs 33 and 315 are windowed or apertured as indicated at 35 (Fig. 8) so as to receive complemental Leshaped rearwardly facing lugs 36 and S7 struck out from the skate sole and heel plates I6 and Il respectively.

In attaching the" skate Il of Fig. 6 to the shoe itl, the wearer places the skate beneath the shoe and simultaneously thrusts the lugs 3S and 3l into the complementa-l apertures in the shoe plate lugs 33 and ."il. As in the previous case, the attaching mechanism is self-cleaning since any dirt which may have lodged in the apertures 35 is pushed out by the entry of the lugs 35 and 3l, The skate is then locked in position by a,

sheet metal latch 38 pivoted within the rear skate pedestal I on a pin 39 and arranged to be swung against the rear face of the shoe heel plate lug 34. To hold the latch 38 in such position, a locking screw 39 is threaded in the pedestal I5. To remove the skate, it is only necessary to slack 01T the screw 39 so as to release the latch 38 and then pull the skate II forwardly of the shoe to thereby disengage the lugs 36 and 3l from their complemental lugs 33 and 34.

In the second modified construction shown in Figs. 9 and 10, still another form of shoe plate lug has been illustrated as well as a somewhat diil'erent arrangement for attaching the heel of the shoe to the skate. In this instance, the shoe I0 again embodies a sole and heel made of moldable composition such as flexible rubber and in which the sole and heel attaching plates 40 and 4I are embedded. The skate II is again an ice skate of conventional form except for the parts used in securing it to the shoe. The stamped sheet metal sole plate 40 is identical with the sole plate I9 of Fig. 1, described above, except that instead of using integral lugs struck out from the plate itself, the lugs 42 on the plate 40 (Fig. 10) are, in this case, formed by rivets having enlarged heads. These lugs 42 are engaged by notched lugs 43 on the skate sole plate I6 (Fig. l1). In the heel of the shoe, the plate 4-I has a nut 44 welded or otherwise rigidly secured therein and positioned to receive a screw 45 journaled in the rear pedestal I5. To attach the skate to the shoe, the wearer places the skate beneath the shoe and slightly to the rear of its final position. The skate is then thrust forward so that the lugs 43 slide forward into engagement with the shoe sole plate lugs 42. This engaging movement of the lugs 43 cleans any dirt from the lugs 42 which may have adhered to them. Then the screw 45 is threaded into the fixed nut 44 so that the heel of the shoe is firmly clamped to the skate heel plate I1. Since the open end of the nut 44 faces to the rear, there is little danger that any dirt will be scuffed into it during walking with the skate removed. To remove the skate from the shoe shown in Fig. 9, it is simply necessary to unscrew the screw 45 from the nut 44 and then pull the skate rearwardly of the shoe so as to disengage the lugs 43--42.

In al1 of the constructions described above, it will be noted that the attachment plates on the shoe are embedded in the moldable composition soles and heels of the shoes so as to be rigidly held in place therein. At the same time, the attachment plates are located completely within the confines of the soles and heels so that they do not interfere with walking when the skates are removed.

Also, in each case, the attachment plates are contoured so as to present their portions of maximum cross-section at their open lower faces with the result that they do not form any dead-end laterally extending pockets in which dirt can lodge. In each case, the interfitting attachment lugs on the skate and shoe are so fashioned that upon their engagement, they will automatically clean their respective surfaces of any dirt or mud, and there is consequently no possibility of jamming or sticking of the parts due to the presence of such foreign matter. Despite these manifest operating advantages, the construction is very rugged and also extremely economical to manufacture.

I claim as my invention:

1. A detachable shoe and skate combination comprising, a shoe embodying a sole and heel made of a moldable composition, shallow inverted dish-shaped sheet metal heel and sole plates embedded in the bottoms of said heel and sole respectively, said plates having projections on the marginal edges thereof projecting into and bonded to the surrounding composition, a skate, and means including interitting parts on said plates and skate for detachably securing said skate to said shoe, said parts on said plates being located entirely within the recesses defined in the bottom of the shoe by said plates.

2. A detachable shoe and skate combination comprising, a shoe embodying a sole and heel each having a recess in the bottom surface thereof, metal sole and heel plates inset into the respective recesses, each of said plates defining a cavity with an open face at the bottom of the shoe and free of dead-end laterally extending pockets, a skate, and means including intertting parts on said plates and skate for detachably securing said skate tosaid shoe.

3. A detachable shoe and skate combination comprising, a shoe embodying a heel and sole, a cavity in the bottom of said heel and a lug fixed in position therein, a skate, a latch on the rear portion of said skate pivoted for movement into and out of engagement with said lug when the skate is positioned on the bottom of the shoe, and a lever on said skate for actuating said pivoted latch.

4. A detachable shoe 'and skate combination comprising, a shoe embodying a heel and sole, inverted dish-shaped heel and sole plates inset respectively into the lbottoms of said heel and sole, the cavities defined by said plates being entirely open at the bottom and free of deadend laterally extending pockets, lugs on said plates projecting into the cavities defined thereby and located wholly within the same, a skate,

a lug on the forward part of the skate engageable with said lug on said sole plate by movement of the skate longitudinally of the shoe from the front toward the rear thereof, and a latch swingably mounted on the rear portion of said skate for engagement with said heel plate lug.

5. In a detachable shoe and skate combination, a shoe having sole and heel members, one having `a bottom recess therein, a sheet metal plate seated in said recess above the bottom surface of the recessed mem-ber and fastened to the latter, and an element integral art opposite ends with said plate and struck out of the metal thereof to provide 'an open ended eye disposed in said recess and extending generally parallel to said bottom surface to receive a complemental fastening device on a skate.

6. In a detachable shoe and skate. combination, a shoe having a molded bottom with a downwardly opening recess therein, a sheet metal plate of inverted dish shape disposed in said recess and providing a downwarly opening cavity having downwardly flaring side walls terminating substantially flush with the bottom of the sole, the periphery of said plate being turned upwardly and embedded in said bottom, and a member rigid with said pleite within said cavity arranged to interlock with a coacting member on a skate to fasten the skate removably to the the shoe.

7, A detachable shoe and skate combination comprising a shoe having =a cavity in its bottom, a plate seated in said cavity and fastened to said bottom 'and providing a downwardly opening recess, a skate having a blade and an upstanding hollow pedestal covering said recess when the skate is in normal position on the shoe, a fastening device on said plate disposed in said recess, a coacting fastening device disposed within and mounted on said hollow pedestal for movement relative thereo into and o it of interengagement with said first device to fasten the skate to said shoe, and an operating member jonrnaled in and projecting from said pedestal and adapted when actuated to shift said coacting device into or out oi engagement with said rst device.

8. A detachable shoe and skate combination including a shoe having a bottom member with a downwardly opening recess therein, a plate seated in said recess and fastened to said member, a skate having a blade and an upstanding hollow pedestal, coacting fastening devices on said plate and said pedestal engageable with each other to lock the skate and plate together, said pedestal enclosing said devices and said recess to exclude water and ice therefrom in the use of the skate, and means manu-ally operable from a point exteriorily of said pedestal to engage and disengage said devices.

9. A detachable shoe and skate combination comprising a shoe with a bottom member having a downwardly opening recess, a plate seated in said recess and attached to said member, a

skate having a blade and an upstanding hollow pedestal enclosing said recess when the skate is attached in normal position to the shoe, la fastening device on said plate disposed in said recess, a coacting fastening device mounted on said hollow pedestal and having a rotary actuating element projecting through a wall of said pedestal and adapted when turned to bring said devices into and out of engagement to lock the skate to or release it from said plate.

10. A detachable shoe and skate combination comprising a shoe having a cavity in its bottom, a plate seated in said cavity and fastened to said bottom and providing a downwardly Y opening recess, a skate having a blade and an upstanding hollow pedestal covering said recess when the skate is in normal position on the shoe, a fastening device on said plate disposed in said recess, a coacting fastening device mounted on said pedestal for movement relative 'thereto into and out of interengagement with said first device to fasten the skate to said shoe, and an operating member projecting exteriorly of said pedestal and movable in opposite directions relative to the pedestal to shift said coacting device into or out of engagement with said rst device.

J UDSOiN H.' NIANSFIELD. 

